EU ends mobile roaming charges from 2017

Data roaming charges for mobile phones in EU countries are to become a thing of the past from mid-June 2017.

The European Parliament has given final approval for a plan to ban extra charges being imposed on consumers when they travel abroad within the EU.

665 MEPs voted in favour of the deal.

Roaming charges are currently added by mobile operators for calls (up to a maximum of 0.19 euros/min), texts (0.06 euros) and internet browsing (0.20 euros/MB) when users are abroad.

An interim period has been agreed from next April when roaming should become 75 percent cheaper, according to the European Commission. The cap will be reduced to 0.05 euros/min for calls, 0.02 euros for texts, and 0.05 euros/MB.

From June 2017 EU mobile phone users will pay the same price throughout the union as in their home country.